By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.
SAN DIEGO — Here’s yet another finding in the ancient question about how to live longer. Attend synagogue regularly. That’s it. Simple isn’t it?
Now before you assume the study backing up this recommendation was funded by a religious organization, think again. After all, this isn’t some medical study backed by a pharmaceutical company, finding, lo and behold, that their drug is far better than their competitors. No, this is legitimate. In fact, the study found that longevity is related to regular attendance at synagogue or church services. Non-discriminatory research. Ah, a breath of fresh air.
In yet another report linking good health with religion, Duke University researchers years ago taught us that seniors with regular church or synagogue attendance are not only healthier but are also more likely to live longer than the non-religious.
The researchers studied nearly 4,000 North Carolinians over 64 years old and found that the death rate of the faithful was 28 percent less than those who didn’t attend services regularly.
A mounting body of evidence associates the religious with better mental health, lower blood pressure and other health improvements. Now keep in mind there is no specific science backed dealing specifically with measures of Jewish attendance and health. Tt does seem reasonable to extrapolate, given how often researchers describe the value of their research to all houses of worship.
Harold G. Koenig in a 2012 systematic review of original data-based quantitative research published in peer-review journals between, get this, 1872 and 2010, including several articles published since then, found, “The field of religion, spirituality, and health is growing rapidly, and I dare to say, is moving from the periphery into the mainstream of healthcare. All health professionals should be familiar with the research base described in this paper, know the reasons for integrating spirituality into patient care, and be able to do so in a sensible and sensitive way. At stake is the health and well-being of our patients and satisfaction that we as health care providers experience in delivering care that addresses the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.”
It seems that when people go to church or synagogue for religious reasons, they have better health and survive longer.
The findings released in the July-August medical science edition of the Journal of Gerontology examined 3,968 adults in five North Carolina counties from 1986-1992.
Researchers interviewed a group of participants each year from 1986-1992 about church or synagogue attendance, their health, social support and alcohol and tobacco use. The subjects, mostly Christians and Jews, were categorized according to whether they attended religious services once weekly.
By 1992, 1,177 participants had died.
Analyses showed 46 percent fewer of the church and synagogue attendees died during the period than non-attendees. But the rate dropped to 28 percent when the differing ages, health and social factors and smoking and alcohol use within the sample were taken into account.
The respective mortality risks are comparable to those experienced by smokers versus nonsmokers. The risk decline was 35 percent in women and 17 percent in men, according to the study.
The report was funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, and was not the first to tie religious practice to a lower risk of dying. A California study of 5,300 people over 28 years generated similar findings, but the survey sample ranged from 21 to 65 years of age. And the sample’s mortality was 15 percent, compared with about 30 percent for the Duke study.
So what does this mean for you? Well, with all of those synagogue ads searching for new members, it seems like this piece of research comes at a great time. What with the High Holidays soon upon us, why not hedge your health bet and consider joining – and more importantly regularly attending – your local synagogue? Think of it as a new kind of life insurance.
So the sermons are boring, the services too long, you don’t understand what’s going on, people aren’t that friendly, your kids complain about going and it’s too expensive.
Here’s what Gil Mann, author of “How to get More Out of Being Jewish…” suggests: search for a rabbi you can relate to. Next, he says that the services will probably not be meaningful unless you are in the right frame of mind, you can relate to the images of G-d in the prayer book, and you feel competent (which is easier to do than you might suspect). He suggests that if issues of dues, money, and materialism offend you, check out another synagogue or havurah.
So if you think going to synagogue is a waste of time, or that it offers nothing to you, Duke University says, “Think again.” It could be just what the doctor ordered. And contemporary research is telling doctors to bring body, mind and spirit together in the exam room.
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Dr Michael Mantell, based in San Diego, provides coaching to business leaders, athletes, individuals and families to reach breakthrough levels of success and significance in their professional and personal lives. Mantell may be contacted via michael.mantell@sdjewishworld.com